Marketing is an ever evolving machine. You cannot just think of it as a set of steps and rewards based on what you do. Sure, you could try to fit your internet marketing plan into a box that will have you receiving marginal results, but you’ll find that if you isolate your reach to just a small portion of the online audience, you will lose out in the long term. If you are not diversifying your reach, you are already two steps behind your competition. No matter what kind of business you’re in, no matter what you’re doing on the web, video marketing is going to impact your reach exponentially. All it takes is one well-crafted video to gain leverage on the web right now. When you take a look at this from a different angle, you will realize that there are 3 major impacts of uploading and promoting videos right now.[Read more…]

If you have a smartphone, you have a tool that can get you started in video blogging. Even if your smartphone is a few generations old, it will have a good video camera, and that is all you really need in order to start video blogging, podcasting, and more.

Don’t have a smartphone or don’t want to use it for video? Get a web cam. Your computer or tablet probably has one built in, or you can buy one. I have an inexpensive Logitech HD Pro Webcam C920
and it records high-quality video and audio. With your phone or web cam, you have a tool that can help you get started with video blogging and building your online audience.[Read more…]

Note from Cathy: Although I always enjoy reading Dan’s articles, this one is especially timely. I am in the midst of making a bunch of videos, some based on material I have created in the past, such as speeches and other presentations, and this is good advice.

Whether you are starting with existing material or writing everything from word one, brevity is important. Keep your videos short and sweet. Dan suggests a maximum of 240 words for a video of two minutes. That is a good general rule, but some of us talk faster. To calculate your speed, open a document in Word, set a timer to one minute and start reading out loud at a natural speed. When the timer goes off, select all of the words you read, then check the word count.

Include your introduction and call to action in your word count. Many people use a pre-recorded intro or outro with their videos, usually about 10 seconds long. If you do, you may want to reduce your word count a bit to stay under two minutes for the total video.

The script I wrote for the public speaking video by Professor Puppet is a bit over 300 words for a video that is 1:40. But he talks pretty fast! (The total time for the video is 2:24 because of a long call to action outro, something that will not be used on every video I do but I wanted on this one.)

If you are not sure how many words to put in your script, follow Dan’s guideline of about 240 words or less for two minutes or less.

If social media marketing is part of your overall marketing strategy (and it should be!) you know that it can be difficult to get an audience’s attention with the same old social media outlets. Asking questions that have few responses or trying to write posts with personality is no easy task. Lucky for you, a burgeoning new social media platform can help reinvigorate your online presence. Twitter is the owner of the fun and easy social video sharing app Vine. The app was just released in 2013 for iOS users and has recently been made available for Android operators. So what makes Vine standout? The app allows subcribers to upload 6 second videos that can be shared to their Vine feed, Facebook and Twitter. With sound capabilities and video looping Vine is a unique social media tool that can get your audience’s attention with creative video imagery.

Here are 5 reasons Vine can be helpful in marketing your business.

1. Visually appealing

You don’t have to be a Photoshop pro to show off your brand. A creative 6 second video can be produced with simple clicks of your smartphone. Filtered photos with dull captions are a thing of the past as your Vine video can include many unique elements that loop over and over. From drawing and painting to constructing text out of food, the possibilities are endless.

2. Start a conversation

Since Vine videos can be embedded into Twitter feeds or Facebook it’s even easier to produce a trending topic. Not only will your business show their creative side but your audience can as well by asking a question that can then be answered through their own uploaded videos.

3. Show off a product/service

This may be the most influential use of Vine as your audience can literally see what your company has to offer. A 6 second video clip of a new item or a quick scene of your employees hard at work beats reading the usual About page on the company website.

4. Cliff Hanger

Getting your audience to return can be done by creating a series of related videos. The power of the looping video can be used to capture your audience’s attention and build anticipation for an upcoming promotion or event.

5. Be seen

6 seconds is not a lot of time so make it count. Vine can allow your audience to see your company and brand outside of the boring world of text content. The audience can see your company wish them a good morning or feel the excitement of a Friday afternoon. So don’t be afraid to make a connection when your business uses Vine.

John Gumas is the Founder and President of Gumas Advertising, a San Francisco advertising agency that has been providing branding, advertising and marketing services for challenger brands since 1984.

YouTube videos are a great way to promote yourself and your business, or just share moments from your business or your life with a worldwide audience. Many people are intimidated by the idea of making and uploading videos. However, a Flip Video Camera makes it easy for you to record a video and upload it to YouTube. This tutorial shows you exactly how to do it.